July 20, 2012

Travel the 50 states

So, somewhere in my life I decided that I would like to visit the fifty states (and maybe throw the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C. into the mix), and so far, I'm doing pretty well, with over 60+% under the belt so far. I'm missing the middle section of the Canadian border, Alaska, Maine, the Caribbean territories, and a few select others that I have to find a way to get to to check that off the bucket list. While at it, though, I thought it might be a good idea to start figuring out "what there is to see" in the various states, so that if I planned a trip there, I would know what exactly I would want to go see or do. That being the case, I decided to start a list here of just a couple of things to see or do when visiting the various states. Some of them, I'm clearly drawing a blank. If you have ideas for any of these (if you live there or you've been there or know someone who has), throw them in the comments for me and I will try to augment the list. Also know, this is a subjective list entirely based on whether it would interest me to visit that area or perform that activity, so I might not use your suggestion, but still appreciate it :). Oh, and those in bold are still on my list to visit. Thanks!

Alabama

Civil Rights Museum - Birmingham

Vulcan - Birmingham

U.S.S. Alabama - Mobile

Alaska

added - Historic Downtown Juneau

added - Mendenhall Glacier (via helicopter)

added - Mount Roberts - viewing bald eagle nests

added - Travel to Alaska via cruise

Arizona

The Grand Canyon - Grand Canyon National Park

Arkansas

California

Wine Country - Napa

Hollywood - Los Angeles

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Walt Disney World - Orlando

Emerald Coast - Destin

Georgia

Hawaii

Pearl Harbor - Honolulu (Oahu)

Haleakala - (Maui)

Hanauma Bay - Honolulu (Oahu)

Idaho

Boise State University - Boise

Illinois

Wrigley Field - Chicago

The Sears Tower - Chicago

Shedd Aquarium - Chicago

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Churchill Downs - Louisville

Louisiana

French Quarter - New Orleans

Shreveport Casinos - Shreveport

Maine

added - Mt. Katahdin

added - Bar Harbor

added - Lighthouses

Maryland

Massachussetts

Old North Church - Boston

Fenway Park - Boston

Cape Cod

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

Las Vegas

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

Empire State Building - New York

Statue of Liberty - New York

World Trade Center Memorial - New York

The Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York

North Carolina

Cherokee - Cherokee

North Dakota

Ohio

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum - Cleveland

Oklahoma

Oregon

Craft breweries (Rogue, Deschutes, Hopworks, Bridgeport) - Portland

Pennsylvania

Liberty Bell - Philadelphia

Independence Hall - Philadelphia

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Mount Rushmore - Mount Rushmore

Crazy Horse Memorial - Crazy Horse

Tennessee

Tennessee Aquarium - Chattanooga

Grand Ole Opry - Nashville

Beale Street - Memphis

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Gatlinburg

Texas

JFK Museum - Dallas

Dallas Cowboys Stadium - Arlington

Alamo - San Antonio

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

Space Needle - Seattle

West Virginia

added - Black Water Falls State Park

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Old Faithful - Yellowstone National Park

Devil's Tower National Monument - Devil's Tower

Puerto Rico

U.S. Virgin Islands

Washington, D.C.

The White House

The Lincoln Memorial

The Washington Monument

The Capitol

The Smithsonian Institute

Arlington Cemetary

The Vietnam Memorial

Anything else I'm missing? What do you do in North Dakota? Montana? Maine?

One more, Providence, RI is the home of the building that was at the start of every Superman TV show, the one he was able to leap over in a single bound, but other'n that, can't think of much reason to go to RI.